The creator of universes, Stan Lee, has passed away today at the age of 95.
There are going to be countless stories about and celebrities remarking on Stan Lee and his many achievements today. I am simply going to share a few words on how his life and contributions have personally impacted my life.
Many years ago I was a sullen and depressed child whose life was changed by my Uncle’s comic books. He was a huge comic book geek and had just about every title you could imagine. If he didn’t collect comic books, my life would probably be very, very different. If Stan Lee and Jack Kirby hadn’t invented the X-men…I know it would be different. By the time I flipped through my third X-men comic book, I knew that my life was irrevocably changed. I knew what I wanted to be…but more importantly, I knew what I was, an artist, a writer…a creator.
Marvel comics gave me outstanding role models at a time when there was far too many bad ones to choose from. I would carry the merits of integrity, strength of will, and courage in the face of adversity these characters bestowed upon me for the rest of my life. Had I not those standards to lean on I would have surely fallen as so many of my peers from those days have. Of that I have no doubt.
This is one of the reasons those of us comicsgaters are so deeply invested in what has happened to the industry and why we fight so hard against the decadent forces that currently inhabit it the comic book industry. We know what true light looks like. We have seen the face of good and it was in those earlier times of comics. It is also why we are going to continue to fight because we believe that what Stan created is something worth fighting for.
I never met Stan Lee. But I know exactly what I would have said if I did.
Thank you, Sir, thank you so very much.
Excelsior!
Article on all the characters created/co-created by Stan Lee
